Bell-buoy.



PATENTED APR. 10, 19.06.

T. WEBER.

BELL BUOY..

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 6, 1905.

' unrrnn STATES PATENT orrron.

THOMAS WEBER, OF EGG CITY, N 153W JERSEY.

BELL-BUQY.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TI-roMAs WEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Egg Harbor City, \Atlantic county, New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bell-Buoys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in bell buoys, and it has for its object to provide a buoy in which the action of the fiowing tide occasions the ringing of a bell.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, I have illustrated a convenient embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the scope of my invention.

Figure I is a longitudinal section of a bell buoy embodying my invention Figure II is a central transverse sectional view; and

Figure III is a bottom plan view of the same.

, In the drawings,-

1 designates a bell shaped buoy (though, of course, the shape of the buoy may be changed at will) constructed of any suitable material and comprising an air chamber or reservoir, the said buoy being provided centrally with an opening 2, as indicated in each of the figures of the drawings, in which opening a rotatable paddle wheel 3 is mounted in bearings 4 secured to the opposite side walls of the opening 2.

Plates 5 are secured to the outer ends of the spokes which radiate from the central hub portion of the wheel 3. The plates 5 are arranged at right angles to the lengths of the spokes and preferably are of a length which will just permit them to pass through the opening 2. The lengths of these plates may be varied, the only necessity being that they shall be shorter than the width of the openin 2.

lExtending longitudinally through the cen ter of the buoy and from end to end thereof is a passageway 6, through which water flows as the tide is moving in or out.

It will be observed that the paddle wheel 3 extends considerably above the top plane of the buoy and that the lower portion of the said wheel rotates within the longitudinal passageway 6. The water passing through the said passageway strikes the plates 5 and portions of the spokes which radiate from Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 6, 1905. Serial IIon 259,127.

Patented April 10, 1906.

the central axis of the paddle wheel 3 and occasions rotation of the said paddle wheel.

It will be understood that the buoy is anchored in any suitable manner, for instance, by means of a rope or chain secured to a ring 7 at one end of the buoy. By reason of being anchored in this manner, the position of the buoy changes with respect to its anchorage as the tide changes, and therefore the anchor end of the buoy is the one which breasts or faces the tide.

10 designates a hood pivoted at 11' to the upper side of the boat-shaped buoy, and one edge of the rectangular opening 2 through the buoy. Secured to the hood 10 is a yokeshaped device 12 upon which the bell 13 is mounted in any suitable manner, in an inclined position as indicated in Figure I.

Pivotally mounted within and to the said bell 13 is a rod 14 having an enlargement 15, the said rod and enlargement performing the function of a clapper for the bell. The rod 14 is extended beyond the enlargement 15, as is clearly indicated in Figure Iand II into position to be engaged by the outer ends of the spokes of the paddle wheel 3 so that as the paddle wheel 3 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 16 in Figure I, the said rod is elevated as each spoke comes into contact therewith, and after such spoke is disengaged from the said rod it falls back to its normal position or enlargement 15 striking the sides of the bell to ring the same.

In order to occasion deflection of flowing particles in the water, such as weeds, to prevent them from coming into contact with the paddle wheel 3, I have provided rods 20 which are secured to a cross-bar 21 located in the bottom of the longitudinal passageway 6 and toward the front or bow portion of the boat shaped buoy, that is, toward the anchored end of the buoy. These rods, as will be seen by inspection of Figure I, extend outwardly and rearwardly to points underneath the paddle wheel 3.

It will thus be seen that any foreign substance, such as weeds, flowing upon the wa ter will strike the said rods and be deflected downwardly and thus prevented from contacting with and clogging the action of the rotatable paddle wheel 3.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A bell buoy comprising an air chamber or reservoir, the said airchamber or reservoir having a passageway for the water extending therethrough, a rotatable Wheel mounted on the said air chamber or reservoir, which Wheel projects into the said passageway, whereby rotation of the said Wheel is occasioned by the action of the Water of the flowing tide passing through the said passageway, rods secured at one end of the said passage Way and extending lon 'itudinally thereof underneath the said Wheel, a bell mounted upon the said air chamber or reservoir, a rod pivotally mounted Within the said bell and having an enlargement thereon intermediate its ends, the said rod being extended into the path of travel of the said Wheel.

2. A bell buoy comprising a boat-shaped air chamber or reservoir, the said air chamber or reservoir having a passageway extending from end to end of the bottom portion of the said air chamber or reservoir, and the said l 1 l l l g i l l air chamber or reservoir being provided with a transverse vertical opening extending therethrough, a rotatable Wheel mounted in the said transverse opening, the said Wheel projecting into the longitudinal passageway, rods secured at one end of the said passage- Way and extending underneath the said Wheel, a bell supported upon the said air chamber or reservoir, and means interposed between the said rotatable Wheel and the said bell to occasion the ringing of the latter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 27th day of April, A. D. 1905 THOMAS WVEBER.

In presence of FRANK O. BREDER, ADoLPn O. GoLLER. 

